"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."" What we read is just the opposite; a single woman must be in want of a man with a good fortune. In this first line of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice we are at once introduced to language rich with satire. The comic tendencies displayed in the novel's language introduce a theme very important to the novel "the character's laughter and their attitudes towards laughter as an index to their morality and social philosophy. .
Beginning with Darcy's opinion, expressed early in the novel, that Miss Bennet "smiled too much,"" attitudes towards laughter divide the characters. Most obviously We tend to consider Elizabeth's position the normative "more closely aligned with modern theories of humor. She laughs at hypocrisy, vanity, pretension, the gap between statement and action, and between theory and practice. On the other hand, Darcy takes a conservative attitude toward laughter. Everywhere in Pride and Prejudice, pompous gravity is laughed out of existence. In the absurdly formal utterances of a Mary Bennet or a Mr. Collins (neither of whom is ever known to laugh), Austen demonstrates that a total lack of humor has effects the reverse of what a situation demands. Yet another example is Mary's formulaic response to the same event: "we must stem the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of each other, the balm of sisterly consolation."" The humor of these characters lies in their unawareness of the claims of spontaneity in certain situations. They can produce, instead, rote and "institutional- responses. In fact, Mr. Collins admits to Mr. Bennet that he arranges beforehand "such little elegant compliments as may be adapted to ordinary occasions."" .
Elizabeth's attitude is very different. In an early conversation, she and Miss Bingley form a temporary alliance to poke fun at Darcy.